Donald Trump risks becoming impatient with Hamas and Israel and losing interest in Gaza
If there is to be a breakthrough in ceasefire talks, it will require the US president to change his position and put pressure on Israel.
Wednesday 14 May 2025 11:57, UK
Donald Trump's visit to Qatar today, the next stop on his Middle East tour, is an opportunity for substantive talks on Gaza.
Many of the key players will be in the same city. The Hamas leadership is based in Doha, the Qataris have been one of the main mediators, Israel has sent a small delegation and the US president and his team will be on the ground.
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As the diplomatic players are converging, Israeli attacks on Gaza are intensifying - more than 60 people have been killed in the past 24 hours according to local health officials, some of them in two hospitals bombed by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
The IDF said it was targeting Mohammed Sinwar, Hamas's leader in Gaza, but there is still no confirmation of his death.
Israel is still pushing a plan to enable Gazans to leave "voluntarily", an idea legitimised by President Trump earlier in the year when he said he wanted to "own Gaza".
There is growing international opposition to this and Israel's plan to expand its campaign.
An attempt to force people out of Gaza would be an act of ethnic cleansing and many point out that it would hardly be a voluntary choice when Palestinians have been under Israeli fire for almost 19 months, internally displaced many times over, most of their homes are totally destroyed and there has been a months long aid blockade.
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If there is to be a breakthrough in ceasefire talks, it will require the US president to change his position and put pressure on Israel. There are signs he might be inclined to do so following his success freeing hostage Edan Alexander.
Arab states are also putting pressure on Hamas to come to a deal, if nothing else, to delay the Israeli offensive and create more time for further talks.
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If no progress is made this week, there is a risk that President Trump, impatient as he is, might again lose interest in Gaza.
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